Oneida School Board seeking small ways to save money

ONEIDA - The Oneida City School District Board of Education got a special presentation on Tuesday, Dec. 11 from North Broad fourth graders on how the their teachers have implemented curriculum into their activities throughout the school year.

Fourth grader Madison Paul talked about the class project on Veterans Day, when each student interviewed a veteran and wrote a biography about each of them. The class learned a lot about the importance of Veterans Day, and that it wasn't just another day off of school.

Dylan Price talked about "The Recess Queen," a book written by a teacher who previously worked at North Broad Elementary. The Author, Alexis O'Neill, donated $1,000 to the school and the school hopes she will come to speak to the kids. The fourth graders all wrote their own stories based on the anti-bullying and character development aspects of O'Neill's work.

Advertisement

"We are sending her our books so she can see how her book and donation has impacted us," Dylan said.

The class also formed the "Empathy Elves" recently, holding a canned food drive and demonstrating the importance of helping the community. They organized the school to donate cans, charted and graphed donations and spread some holiday cheer with their songs. Altogether the program brought in over 500 canned goods for needy families.

After the presentation by the fourth graders, the board went into normal proceedings. One highlight was the budget, which has been started though Superintendent Ronald Spadafora said the Budget Committee will start the bulk of their work after winter break.

Many New York school districts are struggling with deficits according to Spadafora, though Oneida's outlook is uncertain until the governor releases figures. Unlike some N.Y. districts, Oneida still retains money in its reserve funds.

"There are quite a few schools that have zero dollars in reserves coming into this next school year," Spadafora said.

The district has been and will continue to be looking for minor ways to cut costs effectively without leaving a visible impact on the school.

The board also approved:

-The high school Earth science field trip to the Natural History Museum in New York City.

-The All-State music students' trip to Ithaca.

-Several grants and donations, including over $9,000 to buy iPads and equipment for the school was approved.

-Policy changes to reflect Dignity for All Students Act changes were approved by the board, although the directors will be revisiting the district's policies on dress code violations.